Ketchup thief banned from college

May 27, 2009

A former California schools official convicted of taking a half-full bottle of ketchup from Chapman University has been ordered to stay away from the college.

Steve Rocco, a former Orange Unified School District trustee, was sentenced Tuesday to two years of informal probation, fined $150 and banned for two years from all Chapman University campuses, the Orange County (Calif.) Register reported Wednesday.

Rocco told the court he took the bottle because he was planning to recycle it. He was convicted of petty theft in April, said he believes he was set up by his political enemies and plans to appeal the decision.